Blood Ties
by Littleforest
Summary: [Complete] Set after the Season 3 episode 'Cackle-Bladder Blood'. Jane gets an unwelcome phone call from his father, but luckily Lisbon is there to help him deal with it.
1. Part One

******Disclaimer -** The Mentalist belongs to Bruno Heller and CBS. Not me. Obviously.

**A/N - **Hello! This story is a bit of departure for me and I'm pretty nervous about it to be honest. All the stories I've written so far on this site have been in the Harry Potter realm, but obviously this one isn't.

I've loved The Mentalist since it first made its way across the pond into Britain, and Patrick Jane is one of the most fascinating characters around. I took a break from it for a while, but recently I've been re-watching Season 3, and it was that which gave me the inspiration to write this little story.

Thank you to _Nerwen Aldarion _for all your help with it. It's set at the end of Cackle-Bladder Blood (S3, Ep 2), and I really hope you like it!

* * *

**Blood Ties**

**Part One**

* * *

Sighing slightly as she glanced around her darkened office, Teresa Lisbon put down the report she'd been reading and ran a tired hand over her face. It had been a very long day – satisfying, since the team had solved yet another murder – but very, very long.

It was getting close to midnight now, and she had sent her team home hours ago. The only reason she herself was still in the office was because she had finish up all the paperwork pertaining to the case. It had been pretty messy towards the conclusion, especially with Jane's plan to use his con-man brother-in-law, Danny Ruskin, to catch the murderer - by faking his own death, no less. Lisbon, needless to say, had been left with a lot of reports to fill in over the incident. Danny had eventually been cleared of the murder thankfully, but she knew he was by no means an innocent man. The only reason she had let him leave at all was because of Jane.

The case had been hard on him from the start.

Her paperwork, therefore, wasn't the only reason she hadn't gone home yet. Jane had been quiet from the moment Danny had 'escaped', and it was obvious, to her at least, that he was dwelling on something troubling, even more so than usual. He'd so far kept his thoughts firmly to himself though, and since she lacked his special talents, Lisbon knew she'd never be able to guess what was going on in his head.

It didn't stop her worrying though.

Obviously, even discounting the return of his late wife's brother, Jane had clearly not enjoyed dredging up his past. He'd been light-hearted and cheerful from the beginning, but Lisbon hadn't missed the slight tightening of his jaw or the narrowing of his eyes when they'd first arrived at the carnival, nor the uneasiness with which he talked about his life in that circle. He always claimed that he didn't have tells, but Lisbon had known him long enough now to know when he was uncomfortable. And from the moment they had stepped on carnival ground, it had been clear to her that Jane had wanted to be somewhere, _anywhere _else.

Why though, she couldn't even begin to guess. Jane had had his mask on firmly from the start.

Lisbon shook herself slightly and stretched, pulling herself wearily to her feet. She had stayed there long enough; Jane was a big boy, and no matter what was bothering him, she was sure he'd be fine. It wasn't as if she could make him confide in her, and truthfully, it probably wasn't any of her business. They all had their secrets after all.

No, she'd waited long enough. It was time to go home.

As she made her way quietly out of her office, turning the light off as she did so, Lisbon's eyes wandered over to the corner of the bullpen. She sighed slightly, but in truth she wasn't all that surprised to see her blond consultant lying there on his worn-out couch, apparently fast asleep with his head resting in his arms.

The bullpen was quiet, since everyone had gone home for the night, but Jane had obviously decided that he was staying in the office tonight even without the company. She briefly considered forcing him to go home, but she dismissed the idea almost immediately. In the end, Lisbon couldn't seem to make herself do that to him. It was no secret that he suffered from insomnia; if he felt he could get more sleep here, who was she to question it?

A sharp ringtone interrupted her thoughts. Instinctively her hand moved to her own phone, but after a moment she realised the tone was actually coming from across the room; from Jane. She watched as he stirred in his sleep at the shrill sound, pulling himself up wearily as he reached to take the ringing phone out of his vest pocket and put it up to his ear, stifling a yawn as he did so.

She considered leaving then, but something compelled her to stay. Jane rarely got phone calls when they weren't on a case, and when he did, it almost always meant trouble. She frowned as she watched Jane from the doorway of her darkened office. He hadn't noticed her yet, which was worrying in itself.

Lisbon felt a tingling of apprehension run through her as a maelstrom of emotion crossed Jane's face, the phone still firmly fixed to his ear. Even from the other side of the room, she could see that he was distracted; upset and shaken by whoever he was talking to. Immediately her thoughts went to Red John, and she found herself hoping beyond all hope that it wasn't the monster torturing Jane. It was the last thing any of them needed, least of all him, especially after this case.

But then, who else would affect him this badly?

Jane's voice rose, and she heard snippets of the angry conversation, even from her position by her office. And though her mind told her she was being nosy and intrusive, Lisbon couldn't help but strain her ears. Someone was bothering him, and whether he liked it or not, that made it her problem too.

"...No, I don't want to meet you." Jane snapped. "I left that life behind for a reason."

Lisbon, despite her apprehension, began to suspect that this wasn't Red John at all. Aside from Jane's words, there was a distinct absence of fear in his eyes. It was that emotion in particular, however, that she had come to associate him with every time a Red John murder came up; sadness, anger, and always a little bit of fear. The fact that fear was absent now, especially in his expression, gave Lisbon a little bit of hope to cling to.

Not that Jane was ever scared for himself, of course. No, he was simply terrified about what Red John would do next and who else would be killed. He was scared of not being able to stop him.

It was something she could sympathise with. She shared that fear herself.

"...Don't bother trying to contact me again. Goodbye."

She watched with no small amount of concern as Jane snapped the phone shut and closed his eyes, obviously trying to calm himself down after the phone conversation he'd just had, all traces of sleep now gone. With a dawning sense of fear, Lisbon realised that Jane really was rattled.

Jane was never rattled.

Slowly, Lisbon made her way across the deserted room and over to his couch. As she approached, Jane didn't even open his eyes, but nor did he put down his phone. He was perfectly still, but she wasn't fooled by his lack of reaction.

"Eavesdropping, Lisbon?"

Lisbon simply sat down beside him on the couch, choosing not to reply. A small amount of guilt rose up within her but she pushed it down in favour of trying to help him. She knew all about his personal vendetta against Red John, they all did, but if Jane _had_ been contacted by the serial-killer, they had a right to know, whether he wanted them to or not.

Jane still kept his eyes shut, but Lisbon could see annoyance flash across his face, along with something else that she couldn't quite identify. She steeled herself, ready to defend her actions, but one glance at his slightly shaking hands and she changed her mind.

"Jane?" she asked cautiously. "Everything alright?"

"It wasn't Red John," he said, opening his eyes as he turned on the couch to face her. His expression was serious, but there was sincerity there, and she felt relief flood through her.

"How did you – ?"

"Please, it was obvious you were dying to ask, Lisbon." Jane rolled his eyes, but there was something wrong about the action; almost as if it was more forced than usual.

Jane turned his attention back to the phone in his hands, apparently lost in thought. Her relief at realising it hadn't been Red John was quickly replaced with apprehension. Jane had his fair share of enemies, but she'd rarely seen him as shaken as he was now.

"Then who?" she asked quietly, unsure of how much he'd be willing to reveal.

He sighed deeply, his eyes dropping back to his hands. "My father."

* * *

Jane kept his eyes fixed on the phone in his hand, determined not to meet her gaze after his admission. In all honesty, he wasn't sure why he'd revealed the truth to Lisbon. Obviously she would never have left without an answer, but he could've lied to her quite effectively, they both knew that. It wasn't like he hadn't lied to her in the past.

But it had been a long time since Jane had heard from his father, and apparently he was more shaken by it than he'd first thought. He'd almost been expecting something like this, ever since he'd realised that he would have to make contact with some of the old crowd on the Carnie circuit. There had always been the possibility that someone, one of the older acts who had been around when he'd been growing up, would let Alex Jane know what had become of his son. He'd hoped that wouldn't be the case, but he'd tried to prepare himself anyway. Apparently the phone call had affected him more than he'd originally anticipated.

Turning slightly, Jane glanced at Lisbon. She wasn't looking at him, but Jane could see her expression as clear as day; shock, confusion and something he couldn't quite identify. Pity? Sympathy?

Jane shook his head slightly, trying to get a hold of himself. He could tell Lisbon was dying to know more. It was one of the things he liked most about her actually. She an insatiable curiosity within her that gave her an almost innate desire to know everything. It was part of what made her such a good cop.

Of course, unlike him, she also possessed boundaries. Lisbon would never ask him about the phone call herself, and if he chose not to expand on what he had already admitted, it was highly likely she'd drop the subject and never mention it again.

But did he want that?

Lisbon, he realised, was one of the few people he knew who perhaps _could _understand why this phone call had affected him so badly. Their pasts were not too dissimilar after all, not that he had ever revealed as much to her of course.

He knew, for example, that she had suffered at the hands of an alcoholic father, but she in turn knew next to nothing about his own childhood. Obviously she knew he had grown up amongst carnies, and that he'd learnt his tricks there, but he'd purposefully kept everything else to himself.

Apparently, avoidance of the issue wasn't going to work now though, and he found himself infinitely glad that the bullpen was deserted and that it was just him and her. His past wasn't something he wanted the rest of the team to know. They all had their fair share of secrets, but this was one that no one else could possibly understand, and their pity would be unnecessary and unbearable. Lisbon though...

If he was the poster boy for messed up childhoods, she was the poster girl.

They had both been motherless from a young age, and both of their fathers had left much to be desired. Jane knew, from what little Lisbon had revealed to him over the course of their friendship, that she'd had to become responsible and independent from a young age, and that was another experience Jane shared with her, though not quite in the same way. Lisbon, he knew, had effectively raised her three brothers almost single-handedly after her mother's death, whereas he'd been forced to earn and save enough money to keep him and his father in food and shelter, while at the same time trying to keep them both out of jail.

Oh, there was no denying it. He and Lisbon had both been forced to grow up far too fast.

Of course, they had both reacted very differently to their equally bad circumstances. Like the coward he was, instead of facing up to the problem and standing up for himself, he had run away from the carnival and from his father and had never looked back. In the years that had followed, as he'd moved on with his life, instead of dealing with his past, Jane had forced his mind away from any thoughts of his childhood and his father, barely ever dwelling on it.

In fact, whenever he thought of his childhood now, however rare the compulsion was, Jane always tried to focus on the few good memories he had from that time in his life. He had always ruthlessly ignored anything to do with his father since any memories involving the man were invariably bad.

His childhood experiences were actually one of the reasons he avoided physical conflict so much now, although Lisbon and the team weren't to know that. They thought it was simply because he was a civilian, unused to violence, but that wasn't quite true. No, violence always reminded him of a part of his life that he'd always tried so hard to forget.

Lisbon though...when she'd been faced with bad circumstances, she had met the problem head on. Glancing at her now, Jane knew that she'd probably never even once considered running away, no matter how bad it had gotten for her. She'd just taken the burden on her shoulders and carried on, and it had made her a better person for it. Jane found himself slightly envious of her. She had buried her demons long ago.

Maybe she could help him bury some of his too.

"My father just called me," he repeated quietly, his characteristic grin nowhere to be found. His light green-blue eyes rose to meet hers, and for once he didn't bother to put on his mask.

Lisbon had been watching him closely as he'd lost himself in his thoughts, and Jane saw a flash of understanding cross over her expression. In all the years that he had worked with her, he'd let certain parts of his past slip - particularly during their last case - but such instances had always been few and far between. It definitely wasn't much, but now he wondered how many of the gaps she had filled in herself.

"Is everything okay?" she asked again with a frown, and he decided that for once he would be completely truthful with her. It was late, he was tired, fed-up and more than anything, he hated the fact that the unexpected phone call was forcing him to deal with things he had long tried to avoid.

"Not really," he replied quietly.

Jane knew, without even looking at Lisbon, that her concern for him had just doubled. It was rare, almost unheard of really, for him to admit that things were bothering him, since he preferred more often than not to simply joke and smile his way through life. Even when Red John cases came along, he usually just became quieter and more intense than usual. More focused. It might have been clear to the team that he wasn't okay, but never had he really admitted it before, and he knew that it had shocked her slightly now.

She didn't reply though, instead waiting for him to elaborate, and Jane found himself amused slightly, even despite his rather rattled mood. Lisbon probably didn't intend it, or even realise it, but she was working with her cop instincts, waiting for him to make the first move like she often would during an interrogation. However, even though he knew she was only doing it out of concern, he couldn't help but be slightly insulted that she was treating him like a suspect who was hiding something.

Jane decided it was time to take a little control of the conversation.

"You're a Catholic," he began, turning on the couch so that he could see her properly. She seemed surprised by the turn of the conversation, and he found himself trying to hide a smirk. "Does that whole...confession jazz help? Does it make you feel better?"

"We don't confess to make ourselves feel better, Jane," she replied, her tone reverting back to annoyed almost immediately, something he was infinitely more used to dealing with when it came to Teresa Lisbon.

"I know," he said, rolling his eyes. "But does it? Does it help?"

"Sometimes," Lisbon nodded, her brow furrowed slightly in confusion at what he was trying to get at. "Not always...but yeah, sometimes."

Jane lost himself in his thoughts, steeling himself slightly. The only person he had ever talked to about his father had been Angela, and she'd already known most of it already. This was going to be infinitely more difficult, but he didn't see any other option. He honestly didn't know how to deal with the phone call from his father, and as much as he would like to just pretend it hadn't happened, Jane knew he had to deal with it, in one way or another.

"He used to beat me when I was a kid," Jane said suddenly, his tone matter-of-fact despite his heavily beating heart. "My father, I mean. It wasn't anything near to what you went through, but obviously it still wasn't particularly...pleasant."

She looked shocked and concerned, but not necessarily surprised. "Jane..."

"Hear me out Lisbon," he interrupted, steeling himself once again. "I'm going to give this confession malarkey a go. And since we're a bit short of priests here at the CBI, you, my Catholic friend, will have to do."

She nodded reluctantly, but didn't say anything and he took that as permission to go on.

"It didn't happen often," Jane continued, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "The other carnies liked me, and they'd look after me from time to time. Whenever he was particularly angry, I'd always sleep in one of their trailers instead to give him time to calm down. Pete's trailer mostly. Of course, there's only so much they could do. I was still his responsibility after all. Carnie rules are different to normal society. There's an unspoken rule that everybody minds their own business, and everyone deals with their own."

"So no one did anything?" Thankfully there was no pity in her expression, only understanding, and Jane counted himself lucky to have a friend like her.

"I didn't go to school, Lisbon," he reminded her with an uncharacteristically awkward smile. "And we moved around too much for anyone to take much notice. It doesn't help that most people don't see carnie folk as real citizens. 'Normal' people just don't want to get involved."

She looked sad at his last admission, but thankfully she didn't ask him to elaborate. Jane wasn't sure what else he could say.

"Your father didn't let you go to school, did he?" she noted instead, and it was a statement rather than a question. She'd taken the conversation in her stride so far, which he realised had been exactly what he'd needed.

"Meh," Jane shrugged unconcernedly, though he didn't meet her eyes. "He didn't want me seeing how good other kids had it. I knew though. I was always more observant than most."

He smirked at her, and she offered her own small grin at his words. Jane felt a little relief flood through him. She was still his Lisbon, and more importantly, she was still acting normally towards him. He didn't need or want pity, but she seemed unwilling to give it to him anyway.

"It's not like it mattered much anyway," Jane continued, his smirk growing as he boasted, falling into his cheerful persona with ease. "I was probably better teaching myself anyway. School curriculums are so...constricting."

She rolled her eyes, and he beamed at her, glad that they could still enjoy their banter, even during a conversation like this. Lisbon truly was unlike anyone else he knew.

"What did your father want?" she asked after a long moment, and the question sobered them both up slightly. "Not that I blame you, but I get the feeling you don't talk much with him."

Jane nodded at her deduction and moved to explain.

"In the carnie world, you're either in or out," he began quietly. "Once I ran away with Angela, I was out. He hasn't once spoken to me, or tried to contact me since then. Not even when Charlotte was born. Or when Red John..."

"Jane..."

He soldiered on. "For him to want to meet up with me now? I suspect he's dying," Jane continued bluntly. "Either that or he's in some sort of trouble, and he needs my help to get him out of it. I can't say I care much whichever it is. I always knew he might try and talk to me once I returned to the carnie world, but I admit, I had hoped that he wouldn't hear about where I was or how to contact me."

Lisbon nodded like she understood, and he supposed she did in a way.

"Was it only beatings?" she prompted after a long moment, and Jane found himself surprised that she was going to question him about this. Part of him wanted to stop this conversation now, but he knew from the look on her face that she was getting no pleasure from this. She was trying to help him, and he decided for once to let her.

"I didn't have a bed when I was a boy," Jane admitted. "I slept on the couch for most of my childhood because we couldn't afford a trailer with two bedrooms."

He saw dawning comprehension light across her face as she glanced down to the worn old couch they were sitting on, and he felt himself suppress a smile. It was true, after all. There was something about sleeping on a couch that still brought him a little comfort, a sense of familiarity. Yes, it reminded him of his childhood but, despite the abuse, it had been a simpler time, a time in which he'd still had a little bit of innocence left. And to be fair, it hadn't been all bad.

"What about your mother?" she asked gently, her green eyes boring into his, and his thoughts turned serious once again.

"Dead," Jane answered bluntly, but he forced himself to go on. "She died when I was five."

It must have been clear to Lisbon that he didn't want to talk about his mother, because she fell silent then, apparently content at this point for him to direct the conversation himself. She was quiet but her expression was firm, simply waiting patiently for him to speak whilst also making it clear that she wasn't about to go anywhere. Strangely, Jane felt relief flood through him at the thought, although he wasn't quite sure why.

Instead of dwelling on it though, Jane decided to simply take the opportunity she was offering.

"I hate him, you know," Jane said, looking towards the phone that he still hadn't put down. "Part of me...part of me blames him for what happened with Red John."

She seemed confused, and in all honesty, he couldn't blame her. "What do you mean?"

"If he hadn't made me what I was," Jane began somewhat shakily. "If he hadn't started me on that path...I wouldn't have taunted Red John, and Angela and Charlotte would still be alive."

"Jane..."

"I know it's still my fault," he interrupted, waving off her concern. "But a part of me can't help but blame him too. I can let the other things go, but that? I'm not sure I can forgive him for that."

Lisbon was silent for a long time then, and he wondered if he'd bothered her by bringing up Red John. She usually didn't like the way he talked about the serial killer, and Jane supposed he couldn't entirely blame her for that either.

"Then don't meet him."

"What?" Jane asked, surprised for once by her answer. "I'd thought for sure you be all 'Let bygones be bygones.'"

She levelled a look at him that told him she thought he was being stupid again. "Me? With my family history?"

"I'm not you, Lisbon."

She shrugged. "You're not that different."

He didn't agree, despite his earlier thoughts, but he let it go for now. Sighing slightly, he stretched his legs and ran a tired hand over his face. For the first time since Lisbon had come over to talk to him, he realised how late it actually was.

"Shouldn't you be at home by now?" he asked quietly. "It's late."

"I'm fine, Jane," she answered, but the tiredness in her eyes was impossible for her to conceal.

"Go home, Lisbon," he said, his tone mock-stern. "I have no desire to deal with any crankiness from you tomorrow, so please go home and sleep. For all our sakes."

She ignored the insult and looked into his eyes, as if trying to work out if he could really be trusted to be left alone. He felt mildly insulted and was about to defend himself when she pulled herself off the couch.

"Look after yourself, Jane," she told him, concern clear in her green eyes.

"Ah, you know me, Lisbon," Jane said, his tone joking. "It's not like I'm known to obsess over these things or anything."

Lisbon let out a small snort at that, but there was still a little bit of worry still there, and Jane found that he wanted to ease that worry a bit.

"There's something to be said for this confession thing, though," Jane said with a grin. "Maybe I'll join you in church on Sunday."

His tone was teasing and she caught his mischievous grin almost immediately. She replied with her own teasing grin.

"I'd shoot you before you got through the door," she smirked. "And there's not a judge or a jury in the land that would convict me."

Jane simply replied with a grin, his smile becoming more and more natural the longer he talked to her. After a long moment, in which she seemed to scrutinise his very sanity, Lisbon turned and began to walk to the door, turning back to face him only when she reached the threshold.

"Night, Jane," she said, her face serious but with amusement still dancing in her eyes. Jane didn't reply at once, his thoughts sobering slightly.

"What would you do?" he asked with a frown, ignoring her goodbye for the moment. His expression was vulnerable in a way it rarely was these days, and Lisbon seemed to have caught the seriousness of his question.

She paused, but seemed to consider her answer carefully. "I'd call him back and listen to what he has to say. It'd be good to get some closure at least."

Jane nodded as her words sunk in. "Night, Lisbon," he replied with a genuine smile. "And thanks."

She nodded in acknowledgement but didn't say anything as she turned to leave. As she finally left him alone in the bullpen, Jane was slightly surprised to find that he missed her presence. He'd gotten very used to being lonely in the last ten years, but for the first time in a long time, part of him wished he wasn't quite so alone now.

He almost called her back, but in the end he didn't. She was clearly exhausted, and as much as she had helped him clear his thoughts about his past, it was his burden to bear, and his alone.

Sighing deeply, Jane realised that for the first time in a long time, he felt ready to bear that burden. Over the years, a lot had been taken from him and he had been pushing things away for a long time, but he didn't want to run from this anymore.

Closure sounded good.

Mind made up, Jane flipped open his phone and brought up the number of the last call he'd received. Pausing for only a moment, Jane pressed the call button and brought the phone to his ear, waiting for the call to be answered. After two rings, it was.

"Patrick?"

Jane sighed slightly, but didn't hang up.

"Hello, father."

* * *

**A/N - **So how was it? This story isn't going to be very long (I think I'll maybe add one or two more chapters at most), but I'd welcome any suggestions you have of things you might want to see. Jane's past is something that has always fascinated me, and I really hope that there are others like me out there. I'd really like to hear from you! Thanks for reading!


	2. Part Two

******Disclaimer - **The Mentalist belongs to Bruno Heller and CBS. Not me. Obviously.

**A/N – **Another chapter has arrived! Thank you so much for all the response to the last chapter. It was very much appreciated and I'm glad those of you who reviewed liked it! Hopefully this newest instalment will live up to your expectations. Let me know what you think!

* * *

**Blood Ties**

**Part Two**

* * *

When Lisbon arrived at the office the next day, she found herself watching Jane more closely than usual, although in truth she wasn't quite sure exactly what it was that she was looking for. A breakdown? A repeat of last night?

Jane had been so vulnerable after the phone call from his father, so out-of-character, that she had almost been expecting him to carry his strangely honest and open mood into the morning after, no matter what he'd decided to do about his father. That was, if he'd even decided to do anything at all. To be honest, if even a small amount of what he'd said that night was true, and she suspected it was, Lisbon honestly wouldn't have blamed Jane for needing a bit of time to get his head straight.

She really should have known better.

Even though she herself had managed to get into work early for once, despite the late night before, Jane had been the first one in, complete with a box of fresh donuts for the team. It had unnerved her slightly, since he was always the last to waltz through the door in a morning, but she shook her concern away. If he wanted to talk, he knew where she was.

During the morning Jane was his usual cheerful self, even though they hadn't been given any new cases so far that day. Having known him a long time though, Lisbon could tell that Jane's good mood wasn't quite sincere, and her worry increased ten-fold despite her best efforts to leave it alone. Jane was hiding something, and that spelled trouble for her, there was no doubt about it.

Apart from her constant worrying over Jane's mental state, the morning passed with relative ease. The team spent the time catching up on their reports and even Jane had busy work which consisted of going through old cases to see if anything had been missed. It was dull, incredibly so, but Jane was acting like it was the best entertainment he'd had in a long time.

Clearly, no matter how he was acting, he wasn't okay.

The team had noticed it too. Cho and Rigsby spent the morning joining in with Jane's over-the-top jokes and games; his apparent good mood was almost infectious, but she'd caught them both giving him concerned glances on more than one occasion. Van Pelt, however, kept glancing at _her _as if her role as 'primary Jane supervisor' meant that she should know what was going on with their consultant.

Lisbon certainly had her suspicions, but that was all she had.

Despite countless opportunities, she still hadn't worked up the courage to ask Jane about his father, simply on the off chance that Jane's good, albeit fake, mood would plummet. A slightly off but cheerful Jane was bad enough, but a brooding Jane was almost unbearable, especially since they didn't have a case to take his mind off things.

At least he wasn't doing any harm, she told herself. Since there had been no new cases as of yet, at least Jane's problems, whatever they were, were confined to the CBI building. Jane was a big boy and he could make his own decisions, and she took the fact that he had not shut himself away in his attic as a good sign. If this was how he wanted to deal with his father's return, it was none of her business. At least, with him like this, and with no case, they'd have a quiet, normal day for once.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking, Jane?" snapped Lisbon as the blond consultant collapsed on his familiar couch with a pain-filled sigh.

Jane grimaced as he held a pack of ice to his bloodied and bruised nose. Lisbon looked on unsympathetically as he flinched in pain, her brain unable to forget the events that had led up to the injury.

Their brief respite from a case had lasted only until one o'clock in the afternoon, when they'd received a call from Bertram, ordering the team to report to the courthouse.

There'd been a murder outside one of the courtrooms there; a suspect on trial for fraud had been shot straight through the brain on his way to the bathroom during a brief recess in proceedings. In the panic, the murderer had been able to escape. The CBI had been called in immediately due to the high profile nature of the fraud case and because of the very influential bigwigs involved in it.

The victim, John Greening, had been on trial as part of a case to catch a ring of con-men that had duped at least ten companies out of a suspected ten million dollars. He had pleaded innocent to the charges but apparently the case had been rock solid and in reality it had only been a matter of time before Greening received a long sentence for the crime. The only weak point in the case was the fact that Greening could not have been acting alone. He had refused to give up any accomplices though, which meant that there was still an ongoing investigation in the FBI into the con-man ring the victim had been a part of.

With Jane acting so strangely, Lisbon had been almost reluctant to take the case at all, but Bertram had made it clear that the case was a high priority. Jane had been visibly delighted at the news, and had been the first out of the office, something that immediately caused her instincts to twitch. Even with the most interesting of cases, Jane was rarely so openly enthusiastic, and his obvious excitement at this case was either a symptom of his intense boredom, which Lisbon conceded _was _possible, or it spoke of a deeper problem, one that meant any distraction, however banal, was welcomed by Jane more than usual. She'd tried not to dwell on the second option too much, worried about becoming distracted and unfocused herself.

In the end, Lisbon hadn't held him back from joining them on the case, even despite the part of her mind that was telling her that something was wrong with the man. She had vowed to keep an eye on him though. She might not have known exactly what was wrong with Jane, but it had been clear to everyone that something was.

So much for a quiet day at the office.

They'd spent the rest of the day chasing leads and suspects, but it wasn't until nearing six that they'd caught their first break in the case. The camera angles on the shooting were dodgy at best, and all they'd been able to determine was that the suspect was likely male, and of a similar height and weight to the victim. It hadn't been much to go on, and they'd all been frustrated by the lack of evidence, even Jane.

That was until Grace came across something in one of the reports from the original fraud case, double-checking it against the tapes from the courthouse. It gave them a positive lead. Another suspect in the fraud ring, a Jimmy Landon, had been seen leaving the courthouse via a back exit. Van Pelt had put his name through the data base and had quickly come up with an address, and it hadn't taken long before Lisbon had got the go ahead to raid the house. Lisbon hadn't been willing to take any chances though; her team would go in, but they would go in armed and prepared.

Strangely though, Jane had been the first one in the car. Usually, the consultant avoided any raids on the job, preferring instead to stay well clear of the guns and shouting. Today though, he'd seemed almost excited at the prospect, and Lisbon had felt a thrill of apprehension run through her at the thought.

As soon as they arrived at the house, she knew her instincts about Jane at been correct. She, Cho and Rigsby had gone in first, securing the suspect with relative ease, even despite the gun he'd had on his person.

Jane had been quick on their heels though, so much so that he was the first to spot that Landon had not been in the house on his own. His son, James Jr, had been hiding in the back room.

Normally she got a little time to prepare when Jane put in place one of his insane plans, even if she usually had no idea what the plan involved, but not in this case.

Jane had only taken one brief look at the kid, a skinny, pale teenage boy, before he had turned on the father, his eyes blazing with something Lisbon hadn't quite been able to identify. Barely pausing for breath, Jane had preceded to do everything he could to rile the suspect up, from insulting the man's mother to calling the man's sexuality into question, the consultant's quick and sarcastic words slicing through the suspect's tentative control to the point that even Rigsby had not been able to hold him back. Jane hadn't even tried to duck when the man flew at him in a violent rage, fists flailing aggressively.

They'd got control of Landon in the end, but what had surprised her most about the incident was not the plan itself, but Jane's reaction to it. Normally, Jane would be whining to anyone within earshot about his bloodied nose, but instead, on their drive back to CBI, Jane had barely said a word. The only clue they'd had as to his state of mind had been the immensely satisfied look on his face that could clearly be seen, even despite the blood that had marred his features.

It was that look, she realised, pulling herself back to the present as she watched him tend to the injury in the comfortable confines of his couch, that was worrying her the most.

"Guy has a mean right hook..." Jane mumbled, his eyes dropping to his knees.

"Jane," warned Lisbon, although a small amount of her worry finally made it into her voice despite her annoyance with the man.

"Look, it was all part of my cunning plan. We needed to bring him in, but we had no grounds, not really. I gave you grounds."

"You're an idiot," Lisbon said bluntly, but already she could feel her anger begin to fade. Yes, Jane had been reckless, and yes it could have gone badly, but it _had_ given them cause to keep the suspect in longer. And Jane just looked so miserable as he sat there on his couch, poking at his nose with some ice wrapped in a cloth, that she just couldn't stay made at him.

Quietly she took a seat next to him. He watched her movements warily but didn't protest as she took the ice from his hand and began to tend to the injury herself.

"Jane, you okay?"

As she tended to his injury, Lisbon noticed a small splattering of blood on his rumpled collar, but Jane seemed oblivious to it. The man usually took care in his appearance, and it worried her slightly.

"Hmm?" Jane said absently. He had been watching her closely, obviously trying to work something out, but she'd been equally determined not to give him anything he could work with. After a few moments though, he seemed to give up. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. A little sore maybe."

"It was your own fault, you know," Lisbon told him as she pulled her hand back to inspect the injury. "You just had to taunt him."

Jane shrugged, but his expression hardened slightly. "Meh, it's what I do best."

"We had it under control, Jane," Lisbon sighed. "We had the guy. Why couldn't you just leave it alone?"

"He's been hitting his son, Lisbon," Jane said abruptly, his voice uncharacteristically hard, and Lisbon was hard-pressed to hide her shock at the announcement. "The kid might not have said as much, but I could see it in his eyes."

Of all the things she had expected Jane to use as an excuse for his reckless behaviour, this explanation hadn't even crossed her mind. Her first instinct was to ask if he was sure, but after a moment she shrugged it away. It was Jane; of course he was sure.

"There are other ways to deal with that kind of issue, Jane," she said instead, sighing slightly as he took the ice pack from her before planting it firmly back on his nose himself.

"None that are nearly as satisfying," he countered with a smirk, although it seemed a lot more malicious than his usual playful expression.

"Jane..."

"Oh, Lisbon, you worry too much," Jane said airily, though she noticed that there was something was definitely off about his tone. "I had to taunt the man to get him to do something that you could bring him in on. You know as well as I do that we had nothing concrete on him. I guarantee, once the kid sees his father behind bars, he'll realise that he shouldn't be protecting the man and he'll come clean about the treatment."

"That's not what I was worried about."

"I know," Jane said softly, but he didn't offer anything else. "I'm fine, Lisbon, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die."

"You'll tell me if anything changes?"

"Sure," he replied casually with a roll of his eyes, an effect ruined by his swollen nose.

"Okay," she replied, although they both knew she didn't believe him for a second. "Well, I'm going to go question Landon. You wanna watch?"

"Nah," Jane replied. "I think I might head up to my attic and get a little shut-eye. Fist fights are so exhausting."

"You weren't in a fight, Jane," Lisbon replied with a roll of her eyes. "You were punched."

"Meh," Jane shrugged as he pulled himself off the couch. "Same difference."

She left him then, eager to start questioning Landon but, for reasons she didn't quite want to confront, her attention was not quite as focused on the case as it should have been.

* * *

"Anything new to report, Van Pelt?"

Lisbon rubbed at her temple in frustration. Landon had been silent during the questioning - the man had refused to even say 'No comment' - and with no evidence other than the fact that he had been present at the time of the murder, they had nothing to charge him on. In fact, if he hadn't punched Jane, Landon would have already been released back onto the street.

"Nothing yet, boss," Van Pelt replied, her eyes fixed on the computer screen.

"Boss," interjected Rigsby, phone fixed to his ear. "Just talked to the FBI. They're sending over a list of Landon's known associates. Might be worth looking into."

Lisbon nodded in agreement. "Anyone seen Jane?"

"Not since he went nuts on Landon," Cho answered bluntly.

Lisbon sighed. "Van Pelt, you keep checking through Landon's background. There might be something there that'll get him to talk. Cho, Rigsby, you check through that FBI list. If anyone jumps out at you, let me know."

"I could help you with that."

Lisbon span around at the unfamiliar voice, her hand moving towards her hip before she realised she'd left her gun in her office.

As she met the eyes of the strange man though, so familiar for some reason, Lisbon flushed slightly at her over-reaction. Red John had left them paranoid after the past few years, but she didn't see any threat from the elderly man in front of her, and she felt a little ridiculous for her overreaction.

She cleared her throat in an attempt to cover her embarrassment, fixing a warm smile on her face. "Can I help you, Sir?"

"I suspect not," the man replied mysteriously, "But I think I can help you."

The man gave her a warm smile, and Lisbon got a distinct flash of déjà vu. Where had she seen that smile before? She tried to rack her brains, but she couldn't place the short grey hair, nor the face itself, amongst her memories.

"Agent?" prompted the man unsurely. She was about to reply when her thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

"Don't listen to him, Lisbon!" came a shout from the other side of the bullpen. Jane walked briskly over to them, barely concealed anger on his face.

"Jane?"

Jane ignored her, his eyes fixed on the old stranger. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you know this man?" Lisbon asked before the man could reply.

"Oh yes," Jane replied, his face absent of any of his usual amusement. He didn't even spare her or the team a glance, his eyes never leaving the old man's face.

"Paddy," greeted the man unsurely, nodding towards Jane with an air of apology about him. Jane's eyes narrowed in anger at the nickname, but he didn't return the gesture.

"Alex," Jane replied coldly, crossing his arms firmly. "You should leave now. Rigsby, escort him from the building."

"Rigsby, stay where you are," countered Lisbon, looking over to the two of them with confusion almost overwhelming her. What the hell was going on?

"Lisbon," Jane began, finally turning to meet her eyes. "I don't know what he's been saying to you, but you can't trust him."

"Why not?" Lisbon asked. "Who is he, Jane?"

Jane paused, apparently weighing up the benefits of lying over truth, but he took too long, and it seemed the stranger had decided to answer for him.

"I'm Alex Jane," the old man said, offering his hand. Lisbon kept her own hand firmly by her side as her gaze shot over to Jane.

"Jane?"

Jane met her eyes, his expression resigned, and betraying a tiny bit of fear. "Lisbon, meet my father."

* * *

**A/N -** So how was it? I'd appreciate any feedback you've got time to give me. The confrontation between Jane and his father will be in the next chapter, but since that hasn't be written yet, I'd welcome any suggestions of things you might want to see. Let me know what you think, but most of all, thanks for reading!


	3. Part Three

******Disclaimer - **The Mentalist belongs to Bruno Heller and CBS. Not me. Obviously.

**A/N- **So I'm back. Sorry it took me so long, but on top of this story, I've had two other stories to update and a ten thousand word dissertation to complete for my university course. Thankfully that's all handed it now, so I should hopefully have a bit more time to write. Thanks for the reviews I received. I haven't lost interest in this story and I'm glad you haven't either.

This chapter is pretty short, but I'd still like to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Blood Ties**

**Part Three**

* * *

Alex Jane's eyes narrowed as his son spoke but he didn't react to Jane's obvious coldness otherwise. The tension in the bullpen had risen to an almost unimaginable level, and even the always stoic Cho seemed surprised by the anger emanating from their usually tame consultant.

"What the hell happened to you?" Jane's father asked, ignoring the tension as he eyed up Jane's slightly swollen nose.

"Like you care," Jane answered coldly before turning his attention back to Lisbon and repeating his previous warning. "You can't trust him. He's a liar and a conman."

"Like you were," she pointed out.

"I learned from the best," Jane replied with a fake grin that failed to reach his eyes. No one, not even Rigsby, was fooled by it.

Lisbon sighed slightly as she cast her gaze between father and son. Honestly, even with the pair of them side by side, she would never have known that they were related. Apart from the eyes, they looked nothing alike, and the cold hatred in Jane expression - something usually only reserved for Red John – made the difference even more stark.

"Boss?" asked Rigsby, clearing his throat uncomfortably. The team were clearly looking to her for orders but in truth she had no idea what to do.

"Let's take this to my office," she offered for lack of a better solution. She turned back to her team. "You three keep working on those leads we talked about."

"Yes, boss," they chorused, turning away to work on the tasks she had set them with a professionalism that she had come to expect from each one of them. Now, more than ever, she was grateful for that; this conversation was going to be hard enough as it was without an audience listening in.

"After you Mr Jane," Lisbon said, careful to keep her voice calm. She had a feeling that she was going to have to be the rational one in this conversation, and it wouldn't help for her to lose her cool.

"You can't honestly believe he has anything useful to offer," Jane said indignantly. "He knows the suspect."

Lisbon's attention flipped back to Alex Jane. "You know Landon?"

"We've met," Jane's father admitted.

Lisbon tried to process this new information. "Jane, why didn't you mention it before?"

"I didn't know until I saw his face." Jane glared at his father. "He's hiding something. Why else would he be here?"

"I came here to offer my help," Alex said calmly. "Surely any information is useful at this stage in a case?"

Jane scoffed and was about to dispute that claim, but Lisbon had had enough.

"I'll be the judge of that," she said, interrupting Jane before he could speak. "Office, now. Both of you."

Without another word, Lisbon marched the two of them into her office, closing the door behind her to give them some semblance of privacy – she had a feeling Jane would need it.

Slowly she made her way over to take a seat behind her desk, valiantly trying to ignore the very palpable tenseness in the air. Jane, for his part, remained standing, with his arms firmly folding in front of his chest as a sort of protection. Jane's father, however, casually took a seat in front of her desk, looking for all the world like a man who didn't have a care in the world.

"So," she began, attempting at least to keep her voice free from hostility. "What do you know about Landon?"

"He's an old friend," Alex Jane replied nonchalantly with a brief shrug of his shoulders.

"He would be," Jane muttered.

"And why is that?" his father asked, turning in his chair to face his son. Jane simply glared at him.

"Abusers love company, it seems," Jane replied, his calm words not doing much to hide his obvious contempt.

"Now, I wouldn't know anything about that," Alex replied with an infuriating smile.

"Of course you wouldn't – "

"Jane," Lisbon warned, before turning to Jane's father. "When was the last time you spoke to Mr Landon?"

"Last week," replied Alex calmly. "I'm not sure exactly what day it was, I'm afraid."

"You knew he was going to be in trouble and that he'd drag you into it," Jane accused his father. "That's why you called me."

"I had to cover my back," Alex replied with a shrug.

If possible, Jane's glare got even more intense. "And you thought I would help you?"

Alex Jane met his son's gaze evenly. "Blood is blood."

"Your blood means nothing to me," Jane snapped. "You could rot in hell for all I care. But you knew that, didn't you? You knew I would never help you. Which begs the question: why did you bother to call at all?"

Alex Jane didn't answer, but he squared his shoulders slightly in the face of his son's accusations. Jane glared at his father, but Lisbon could tell by the look Jane's eyes that he couldn't get a read on the man. It worried her. Jane seemed to have a blind spot when it came to his father, and considering the type of man Alex Jane was, that weakness could come back and bite them in the ass later on. She'd have to keep a careful eye on him. On both of them, really.

"Let's get back to Landon," Lisbon began, but she didn't get far with her questioning.

"You knew he was hitting his son?" Jane interrupted as he glared towards his father with barely concealed hatred.

Alex Jane shrugged. "Yeah. None of my business though."

Jane growled – actually growled – and Lisbon knew she had to step in before the situation got out of hand. Keeping a careful eye on the pair of them, Lisbon got up and poked her head out of her office door.

"Rigsby," she called. "Can you please escort Mr Jane to interrogation room two?"

"Yes, boss," Rigsby nodded. There was a question in his eyes, but Lisbon shook her head slightly and he kept silent as he made his way over to her office.

"Jane, calm down," she warned as she came back into the room. She turned to his father "Mr Jane, Alex, Agent Rigsby will escort you into interrogation. I'm afraid we have a few more questions for you."

"In that case, I think I should contact my lawyer," Jane's father replied evenly, although his voice held a hint of a threat.

"That is your right," Lisbon replied calmly, completely unaffected by the man's attempt at intimidation.

Rigsby took that as his cue, taking the man's arm in a grip that was slightly tighter than was strictly necessary. Lisbon had to hide her smile. They may have had their differences over the years, but the team really were like family. When one of them was threatened, they had each others' backs.

Once the two of them had left, Lisbon turned to face Jane. She sighed slightly, but tried to keep her face free of any pity she was feeling, knowing that he would hate that above all else. Jane's bravado had disappeared with his father apparently, and the usually composed man looked close to losing it - the last thing she wanted to do was push him over the edge.

"Jane, sit down," she said softly, directing him into the sofa. She could feel a slight trembling in his limbs as she sat him down, taking a seat beside him as she mentally prepared herself for another difficult conversation.

"Jane," she began softly, "You okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Lisbon," Jane replied quietly. "Never been better."

"Jane, I need to know," Lisbon continued seriously. "Did you call your father back last night?"

Jane sighed. "Yes."

"Did you know – "

"He didn't mention anything about a murder, Lisbon," Jane replied with a faint trace of annoyance in his voice. "I assure you, if he had, you would have been the first to know."

"I know that, Jane," Lisbon replied calmly. "I had to ask."

"I know," Jane said. "But I promise, he didn't mention John Greening or Jimmy Landon. Not once."

"I believe you, Jane."

They sat in silence then. Lisbon, for her part, was patient; she knew Jane was using the silence to try and calm down, and she had no problem giving him time to do so. God knows she would have needed to same if it had been her father in interrogation.

"Do you really need to keep him here?" Jane said, breaking the silence after only a few minutes. She was pleased to note that, although he still looked pale, he seemed much calmer and much more in control of himself once again.

She hated to do this, if only because she didn't want to ruin the calm he had found. "We've got no choice, Jane. He's a person of interest, whether you like it or not. Go home if you don't want to deal with him. I wouldn't blame you.

"No, I'm coming," he said, waving her concern away. "I need to keep an eye on him if nothing else."

"I think we can handle it," Lisbon said dryly.

"He's good, Lisbon," Jane warned. "Not as good as me, but he's good. There's a reason he's a free man, despite the fact that he possesses a list of illegal activities even longer than mine."

A small smile flickered across Lisbon's face.

"Fine, Jane. But you need to keep calm, or I will ask you to leave. And you won't be an official part of the investigation. No interrogation, no ridiculous plans to catch the killer. You will observe, that's all. Agreed?"

Jane put on his best innocent face, and Lisbon almost groaned aloud.

"Agreed," Jane replied cheerfully, although his eyes narrowed as he glanced to the door of her office where his father had left only moments before.

"Jane..."

"I can't promise to behave on this one Lisbon," Jane said seriously, and Lisbon felt a strange sense of foreboding. "I'll do my best not to get you or the team in trouble, but I can't promise to stay detached. Not with him involved."

"Just don't do anything stupid." She fixed him with her best cop face. "Promise me."

"As if I would do anything stupid," Jane scoffed dramatically, although it seemed a little forced this time. "Name one plan of mine that's been even remotely stupid."

"I'm serious, Jane." She had no intention of playing his games today.

"I know," Jane replied quietly, but he didn't seem to change his mind, and Lisbon knew in that moment that it was a battle that she wouldn't win.

"Come on, then," she said as she got up from the couch. "There's no point in putting this off."

Jane got up as well but he paused at the threshold of her office, and Lisbon paused as well as she turned to see what was keeping him.

"Be careful, Lisbon," Jane warned seriously, and if it wasn't for the situation, Lisbon would've scoffed at how strange that phrase sounded coming from him. As it was, she stayed silent. Jane was rarely serious about anything, but when he was, there was almost always a good reason for it.

"I will be, Jane," Lisbon replied, trying to inject a confidence in her voice that she didn't quite feel.

"He'll try to mess with your head," Jane continued, apparently not fooled by her act in the least.

"I've been dealing with you for years, Jane," Lisbon said with a roll of her eyes. "I think I can handle a few mind games."

For the first time, she saw a small but true smile reach his eyes, and she felt a surprising amount of relief at the sight.

Without another word, Jane nodded and swept past her. With a small sigh, she followed him, a slight amount of the apprehension leaving her as she watched him walk with determination back in his stance. He looked almost back to normal – or at least as normal as Jane ever got – but she couldn't help the small amount of foreboding that rose up in her as they made their way over to interrogation room two.

So much for that quiet day at the office.

* * *

**A/N - **So, how was it? I'd love to hear from you! The truth is, I'm not sure how far to take this story - my original plan was for it to only be a couple of chapters, but already it seems to be going beyond that, so any thoughts you have on it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading!


	4. Part Four

**Disclaimer -** The Mentalist belongs to Bruno Heller and CBS. Not me. Obviously.

**A/N- **So, I'm back again. Sorry that there's been such a long wait for this chapter, but unfortunately my attention was taken up by one of my other stories. I haven't forgotten about this, however, and the season finale last week was enough to get me back to writing about Patrick Jane and the CBI. This story is wrapping up now, and there should only be one more chapter after this one - if I've planned it right, of course. I hope you like it!

* * *

**Blood Ties**

**Part Four**

* * *

From behind the one-way glass of the interrogation room, Jane watched his father with careful eyes, trying to push away the feeling of apprehension that was building in his chest. He stoutly ignored the concerned looks that Lisbon and Grace were shooting him, focusing instead on Rigby and Cho's questions, and on his father's reactions. A thrill of nervousness began to rise in him as he stared at Alex Jane's face. He took note of every mannerism, every flicker in the man's features, anything that could suggest deception, but deep down, Jane wasn't sure it would be enough. Jane hadn't seen his father in over thirty years but the man still had an affect over him it seemed. He couldn't get a clear read…

Alex Jane looked calm and expressionless. He looked for all the world as if he had nothing to hide - a sure sign, in Jane's opinion, that he was hiding something very big. Jane had seen that look too many times during his childhood; the smug smile, the sharp eyes…

His father was looking at Cho like a predator would a prey.

"So, Mr Jane," Cho began calmly, glancing towards Rigsby as he took a seat in front of Jane's father. "Tell me about Jimmy Landon?"

"He's an old friend," Alex replied nonchalantly. "I believe I have already told that to my son. Where is he by the way? Hiding like the coward he always was?"

The small jibe barely registered for Jane, who had heard much worse from the man over the years. From the corner of his eyes, however, Jane noticed Lisbon give him yet another concerned look, but he ignored it stoically, instead focusing his intense gaze on the man on the other side of the mirror.

He couldn't let his father get to him. He had to stay in control, keep calm and alert. He was smarter than his father, he knew that, but the older man had always had the upper hand when Jane had been growing up. Jane wasn't a child anymore though, and he refused to let his father get the better of him anymore. This was _his _life; he'd be damned if he was going to let his father screw it up for him. The sooner he was gone, the better.

Thankfully, Cho ignored the small jibe about Jane as well.

"Jane's busy," Cho replied, barely missing a beat. "Back to Landon. How did you two meet?"

"Is my lawyer here yet, Mr Cho?" Alex replied with an infuriating smile. Jane hated that smile; the insincere look that told his chosen mark that they were being played. Looking at the man, Jane felt his anger grow even more.

"Agent Cho," corrected Cho. "And no, he isn't."

"Then I'm afraid I have nothing to say until he gets here."

"Like hell he doesn't," Jane muttered. He was done being intimidated by that man. It was time to get control back.

"Jane…" began Lisbon, but he was already out the door before she could stop him. He stormed around the corner and pushed his way into the interrogation room, using every ounce of his careful control to stay calm.

His father looked up at his entrance, but if anything, the man's smile just got wider and his eyes took on an air of triumph. Jane got the uncomfortable feeling that he was playing right into the man's hands, but it was too late to back down now. Cho and Rigsby shot him confused looks but he ignored them, staring unflinchingly at his father instead.

The man smiled calmly. "Ah, the prodigal son – "

"Did you know a man by the name of John Greening, _Dad_?" Jane interrupted, glaring at his father as they had their own private battle of wills.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The infuriating smile was still there, but there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. Oh, he knew John Greening alright…

"Jane…?" began Cho, but he was interrupted by Lisbon, who had seen fit to follow her consultant into the interrogation room.

"Jane, what are you doing?" she snapped angrily, but Jane saw the concern in her eyes.

"Interrogating our suspect of course," Jane replied lightly, although inside the anger was burning in his mind.

"I thought I was only answering a few questions?" mocked Alex Jane, smile widening further. It infuriated Jane.

"You can't be in here, Jane," Lisbon told him firmly, her deep concern barely concealed. Jane saw her glance towards Rigsby, and he almost expected her to have him escorted from the room. Jane's anger grew, although he didn't entirely blame her. This was _his _father though. He didn't care what the 'powers that be' thought; he wasn't going anywhere.

"Come on, boy," interjected his father. "Listen to your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Jane snapped angrily. He knew he was losing control but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Everything he had been ignoring for the past thirty years was clawing its way back out now. Every slap and punch he had endured during his childhood, every lonely night and exhausting day.

"You still with that Angela, then?" his father asked, having sensed Jane's weakness. Lisbon and the team looked shocked at the mention of Jane's late wife, and Jane wasn't reacting too well himself. No one mentioned his wife these days. No one. "She always was a pretty, young thing…

Jane lost it. He stormed over to the man with barely concealed fury. Rigsby, who had been standing beside Alex Jane, quickly sidestepped out of the way, apparently quite happy for Jane to have a go at the man himself. The whole team seemed angry on his behalf, and if he wasn't so angry himself, he might have been touched by the gesture. But as it was, Jane could barely see past the red in his mind. His father had mentioned Angela. Angela…

"Shut up, you bastard," Jane told him angrily. "Don't talk about her…"

"She left you, did she?" Alex said, although his tone was anything but sympathetic. Jane growled in response, and he was finding it intolerably hard to control his anger. Something his father had obviously noticed…

"Jane…" Lisbon began, uncharacteristically nervous and unsure.

"Son, I think you've got some anger issues," Alex continued, pouncing on Jane's lack of control. "Maybe you need help. I could probably get you the number of your mom's shrink. Though it never did her any good – "

SMACK.

Jane punched him, fist clenched as he swung towards his father's face with as much force as he could. Anger swirled through his mind, making it difficult to think. He heard a voice, someone telling him to stop, but it barely registered. All he could think was that his father should _never _talk about his mother like that…

"Get Jane out of here."

He felt arms pulling him back, but he fought them with every bit of strength he had. He tried to get another punch in. His father had to pay. He had to pay…

"Cho, get him out of here. Now."

"C'mon Jane," came Cho's voice from behind him. It was calm, momentarily nullifying the rage that was still pumping through Jane's veins. Cho pulled him back, and Jane gave up the fight as the smaller agent pulled him from the room.

"He's shouldn't have said that, Cho," Jane muttered as the red began to lift from his mind. He looked back though the open door of the room at the carnage he had left behind; at his father lying on the floor, the overturned chair and Lisbon's pale, shocked face. "He shouldn't have said it…"

"I know, Jane," Cho said quietly. "Come on, let's go and get you a cup of tea or something."

Jane nodded, although his thoughts for once were a jumbled mess. He hated that he had lost his carefully constructed control, something that had taken years for him to build; and in front of the team as well.

His father shouldn't have said that though…

* * *

As she watched Cho drag Jane away from his father, Lisbon tried to keep control of her own emotions. Never had she seen Jane lose it like he had just then. Even when Red John cases came up, he'd always managed to stay in control of himself, and in control of his own mind. He'd _never _been violent, even when they'd dealt with the scum of the earth. For all his talk of revenge, Lisbon had always thought that Jane simply didn't have it in him to attack anyone. But to see him attack his father like that...

There and was something deeper there, something that she didn't quite understand yet.

What the hell was going on?

"You should really make that boy go and see a shrink, Miss Lisbon," came a voice from the floor, jarring Lisbon from her troubled thoughts. Alex Jane picked himself up, gingerly poking at his bleeding nose, a look of triumph on his face.

"Agent Lisbon," she corrected coldly as she fought to regain control.

"Whatever," Alex Jane simply shrugged in reply, dusting himself off as he turned to face her, defiance in his eyes. "Either way, I think I'll be going now."

Lisbon didn't answer, but she knew that they had little choice but to let him leave. Quite apart from having nothing to hold him on, Jane had just assaulted the man. They'd be lucky if he didn't sue.

"Rigsby," Lisbon began, knowing that the tall agent was still in the room. "Please escort Mr Jane here from the premises."

"Yes boss," Rigsby replied tightly. Her agent grabbed Alex Jane firmly by the arm, his anger with the man clear and Lisbon had half a mind to ask someone else to do the job. Hopefully Rigsby wouldn't do anything _too_ stupid though...

"Van Pelt," Lisbon said as an afterthought. "Go with them. Then get back to checking that list of known associates."

"Okay boss," Van Pelt replied, her concern for Jane clear. She followed the two men out of the door, leaving Lisbon alone in the interrogation room. She sighed deeply as she picked the chair up and righted it, deliberately prolonging the moment when she would have to go and deal with Jane. Hopefully Cho had calmed him down by now, although that would be of little comfort in the grand scheme of things. He'd attacked a suspect; a suspect he shouldn't have even been talking to in the first place. Jane had ignored a direct order from her.

"Dammit Jane," she muttered as she made her way out of the interrogation room. Why could nothing be simple with that man?

* * *

She eventually found the two of them in the kitchen, Jane nursing a hot tea, and Cho drinking a coffee. Cho caught her eyes as she made her way over towards them both, but Jane didn't even raise his head.

"I'll get back to work," Cho offered quickly, sensing easily that she wanted to talk to Jane alone. Her team really were showing their worth today.

"Okay, Cho," Lisbon agreed gratefully, before turning her attention back to Jane.

He looked terrible. His nose, still obviously sore from where he had been punched earlier in the day, was bright red, a contrast even more stark due to his pale face. Jane was rubbing the knuckles of his right hand as well, although his thoughts seemed to be miles away.

"It's been a long time since I've punched anyone," Jane began quietly as she joined him at the counter. "I'd forgotten how much it hurt."

"You're an idiot, Jane," Lisbon said, although there was no malice in her tone.

"I know," Jane agreed quietly. He still refused to look up at her though, and Lisbon felt her worry for the man increase.

"Dammit Jane, you promised."

"Actually, no I didn't," Jane replied, and Lisbon saw a flicker of the man's usual attitude returning. "You _asked _me to promise, and I said I'd try. I have tried. It's not my fault that the man's unbearable."

"Did you have to punch him though?" Lisbon asked, although she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"He mentioned my mother," Jane said tightly. Her consultant seemed to be struggling with something, but she knew she couldn't force him to talk about this. Not when it seemed so blatantly personal.

"You don't have to tell me, Jane," Lisbon said quietly.

"But you're my priest, Teresa," Jane said, a small uncertain smile finally making its way onto his face as his eyes rose to meet hers.

Lisbon smiled at the reference to their conversation the day before, but apprehension built quickly within her. She'd seen the man low before, but this was different. Jane looked broken…

"She killed herself," Jane continued quietly. Lisbon had to strain herself to hear him. "My mother…she was sick. Depressed, I expect. Living with him didn't help. She killed herself when I was five."

Lisbon didn't know what to say. She didn't even know if there was anything she could say. 'Sorry' seemed so inadequate now.

"I'm sorry, Jane," she said anyway, simply for lack of anything better. She couldn't say that she knew what he was feeling, but she certainly understood now why he'd reacted in the way he had. Truthfully, she would have done the same thing. Any of them would.

"It was a long time ago," Jane shrugged as he picked up his tea for a sip. "It's just…when he mentioned her, I couldn't help it. He shouldn't have said that."

"Are you okay?" Lisbon asked quietly as she watched him drink his tea.

"Has he gone?" Jane asked, completely ignoring her question. He seemed a little calmer now, although there was a look in his eyes that she couldn't quite decipher.

"Rigsby's escorting him off the premises as we speak," Lisbon replied with a nod. "And Van Pelt's keeping an eye on Rigsby to make sure _he _doesn't do anything stupid."

"Like I did, you mean," Jane replied with a small grin, looking a little more like his old self. "Oh, don't worry, my dear. I quite understand. I'm not offended."

"I'm not being offensive, Jane," Lisbon shot back. "It _was _stupid."

"Well, yes, it was," Jane replied cheerfully, although it still seemed a little forced to her. He seemed better than he had been two minutes previously though, so she was grateful for that at least. "But it's done now. No use crying over spilt milk."

"Well, it goes without saying that you're off the case," Lisbon told him sternly, making it clear that she wasn't budging this time.

"Ah, I thought you might say that," Jane replied, his expression showing no surprise whatsoever. Annoyingly, he smiled. "Well, in that case, I think I'll go for a nice walk instead."

A walk. Damn the man, he just couldn't let things go.

"You're off the case, Jane," Lisbon repeated with a glare.

"I heard you the first time, Lisbon," Jane replied innocently. Lisbon didn't believe his act for a second. "But as I just said, I think I'll just go for a walk."

"Stay away from your father, Jane," Lisbon warned as Jane put his empty tea cup in the sink. "You're in enough trouble as it is."

Jane sobered. "Trust me, I'm not going anywhere near him."

Against her better judgment, she found that she believed him for once. Whatever he had planned – and she was certain he had _something _planned – it probably didn't involve punching his father again.

"Okay, Jane," she sighed resignedly. There was no controlling the man when he got like this. "Just be careful."

"I'm always careful," Jane replied cheerfully, as he began to leave, looking almost back to normal now. "I'll be back soon, Lisbon."

He shot her a smile as he made his way out of the room, but it did little to comfort her. In fact, it only made her worry about the man more.

"Dammit, Jane," she muttered.

* * *

**A/N - **So how was it? I realise that Jane was a bit out of character in this chapter, but hopefully I've written the plot well enough so that Jane's reaction is at least believable? I know that I've taken liberties with his mother's story as well, but since we know so little from the show, I came up with my own idea. I hope you liked it! Please let me know your thoughts, but most of all, thanks for reading!


	5. Part Five

**Disclaimer - **The Mentalist belongs to Bruno Heller and CBS. Not me. Obviously.

**A/N- **Hello once again, my faithful readers! We're nearing the end of this little tale now, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has supported me whilst I was writing this. It's been fun, and I hope you're enjoying it! Only one chapter to go after this (if everything goes according to plan) but for now, I hope you like this newest instalment!

* * *

**Blood Ties**

**Part Five**

* * *

As he guided his old blue Citroen into the drive of the small house, Jane took a deep steadying breath, trying to calm his already frayed nerves and regain his careful control. The last few days had been like a nightmare, something he had honestly been dreading since the day he had first joined the CBI. He might have calmed down slightly since he'd left Lisbon back at the CBI, but his heart was still thudding a little too loudly in his chest and he still couldn't quite wrap his head around what had happened.

Had he really just punched his father? He'd spent so long as a child just dreaming of the moment when he would be old enough to fight back that he still felt a little giddy now that it had happened. Oh, he knew he was in a lot of trouble, especially with Lisbon, but he was fairly confident that his father wouldn't pursue it. Jane knew the details of a few of his father's seedier endeavours after all...

No, the only thing that was really bothering him at the moment was the brief glimpse it had given the team of his not-so-pleasant past. Lisbon had known the details but Cho, Rigsby and Grave had certainly had no idea that his childhood was anything but perfect. The team all had their fair share of secrets but he had to admit, he had hoped that this particular one would have stayed firmly hidden with the other skeletons in his closet.

When he'd first joined the team, his life had been at a tipping point. Though he hadn't expected anything but a way to get revenge, in the end they had saved him, and had given him purpose and a way to make up for everything he had done wrong in his life. He had become…better for having known them. He'd never believed that he deserved the second chance, but still he clung to it with everything he had.

His charisma and charm and immature ways had always been a mask, a performance that had kept him in control. The team been working together for a long time, so long that some of his mystique had definitely faded, but even so, he'd always taken comfort in the fact that they didn't know everything, that he was still in control of his own life, and of his own past. He was still in control of his performance. Some days, it was all that kept him going.

They'd all spent so much time together, though, ploughing through case after case, that it was inevitable that his mask would slip occasionally. The team had all caught glimpses of the man behind the performance at one time or another, invariably when a part of his past reared its ugly head, or Red John made a reappearance. His armour had always been strong, but recently the hits had been coming a little too fast and the chinks were starting to appear more frequently.

And then today…

The team had seen him low, there was no question about that. Whenever a Red John case came up, or something reminded him – however innocently – of his now broken family, he'd lost some of that careful control that he had built up since his childhood. They'd never mentioned it to him, letting him deal with it in his own way, but occasionally, when he'd watched them particularly closely, he'd caught them looking at him with what could only be described as pity.

The last thing he wanted was pity now, but he feared that it was precisely what he would receive. How could they not pity him? Poor Jane; poor, weak Jane. Broken even before his family had been murdered…

Jane had struggled with his childhood experiences for a long time, but one thing that had always helped him to deal with it was that no one else knew. It was his secret, and he'd always done everything he could to keep it that way. If no one else knew how screwed up he was, it was easier to pretend he was fine, easier to keep up the performance. It was easier to pretend that he was a little less broken.

A little less damaged…

Jane shook his head forcibly as he finally pulled himself out of the old car. There was nothing he could do about it now. His secret was out, his past was no longer his to protect. Just another thing that was no longer under his control. What must they think of him now…?

Taking another deep, steadying breath as he shut the self-pitying thoughts deep in the back of his memory palace, Jane made his way down the driveway, turning his focus onto something he could change. He would show them that he didn't need their pity, that he was a better man than his father could ever hope to be. He might be screwed up, but he was the same person he had always been. All he had to do was remind them of that, and in his mind, that meant solving this damn case.

And maybe, just maybe, if the case went away, his father would follow, and he could get on with his life. One could hope…

Jane strolled up to the front door with confidence flowing back to him. With his focus back on the case, Jane could feel the return of his control come back to him as easily as if it had never left. This he could do. He may not have dealt with his father or his childhood, but he could still make a difference in this world.

Jane knocked at the door with confidence. It was time to work his magic.

When the door finally opened after a long pause, Jane fixed a smile on his face as he was greeted with the son of the man they had in custody. The teenage boy who Jane had discovered during the raid earlier today. James Landon Jr.

"Hello, James," Jane said cheerfully, smiling in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "I wonder if I could trouble you for a nice cup of tea…"

* * *

Lisbon was worried.

It had been over an hour since Jane had left the CBI, over an hour since he had punched his father in the face, and no one had heard from him since. After Alex Jane had been escorted from the premises, they'd been left with damage control on the case, but even though she'd didn't entirely blame him, she had hoped that Jane would at least stick around long enough to clean up his own mess. Truthfully, this case was going nowhere, and now that they'd had to release one of their only leads, they were running out of time. If they didn't come up with something soon, not only would Alex Jane get away scot free, but so would Jimmy Landon.

They needed a break, and they needed it soon.

"Come on, Jane," Lisbon muttered to herself as he stared at the case report for the hundredth time. Even though she hated to admit it, they needed him, his expertise, and his unique form of help.

And truth be told, she needed him to be okay.

* * *

"I don't talk to cops," the boy muttered with a scowl.

James Jr had eventually, admittedly after a little coaxing, let him into the house, although still with a great deal of reluctance. Jane knew that it was more to do with the kid's fear of his father though than a mistrust of cops, but he didn't say as much. He didn't want to risk spooking James, especially when the teenager already looked tense and ready to bolt. It was clear to Jane that the kid had only agreed to let him in at all because his father was still in custody.

"It's a good thing that I'm not a cop then," Jane replied with a shrug, taking a seat on the sofa. "I'm just…cop adjacent. I get into far too much trouble to be a real cop."

"I'm supposed to believe you're a rebel?" James Jnr scoffed. He remained firmly standing with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "You? With your stupid vest and your tea?"

"Hey," Jane interrupted, a small frown making its way onto his face. "There's nothing wrong with tea."

The kid didn't reply to that but his scowl said how he felt about Jane's intrusion in his home. Absently, Jane wondered if he'd been as surly when he'd been that age.

Ah, who was he kidding? He'd probably been one hundred times worse…

"Look man," the teenager began unsurely, pulling Jane out of his thoughts "My Aunt's gonna be back soon. What do you want?"

Jane met the boy's gaze evenly. "Your father."

James Jr's reaction was immediate. He tensed, his eyes shooting to the front door as if he half-expected his father to burst through the door any second, confirming all Jane's suspicions in one single moment.

James Jnr gulped deeply, but held Jane's gaze. "What about him?"

"I know, James."

"Know what?" the teenager scowled, although there was a hint of fear there too.

"I _know, _kid," Jane replied, his expression serious for once. "I know what he's like."

"What're you talking about?"

"Please, it's obvious," Jane continued. "He hits you."

"What…no he doesn't," the teenager said desperately.

"Of course he does," Jane said seriously. "Other people might not see it, but I knew from the moment I saw you."

The pretence dropped almost immediately and fearful eyes turned to him. "How?"

"I know what it's like to live like you do," Jane replied with a shrug, careful to keep his face blank.

"You?"

"You find that hard to believe?"

"You don't seem that screwed up," the teenager said with a cautious look on his face. Untrusting.

"Oh, I am," Jane replied. "Believe me, I am. My dad was just like yours. A mean son-of-a-bitch."

James looked at him with uncertain eyes, although Jane could tell that the boy was starting to believe him. Jane knew it was hard to believe that _anyone _could understand what it was like to live in that kind of situation, but he also knew that you never stopped hoping that someone would.

"What do you want, man?" James asked, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"I want you to help me put your father away for a long time," Jane said simply.

"What?" the kid replied, fearful eyes rising to meet Jane's. "I can't…he'd kill me if he even found out I talked to you. I can't…"

"There are people who can help," Jane said softly.

"Ha," James retorted bitterly. "The child services, you mean. They don't do jack!"

"Look, I spent a little time with child services myself when I was a kid. I know how they are, but come on, it's got to be better than this. Isn't there anyone else you could stay with?"

"Did you have anyone?" James retorted.

"Well no," admitted Jane. "I had places I could sleep if my father got angry, but there was no one who wanted me permanently. Same with you?"

Jane had gotten the distinct impression that James' aunt had already made it clear to the boy that this current arrangement was only temporary, that she would only stand in until his father was out of jail. It only took one look in James' eyes for Jane to confirm his suspicions. The boy had no one.

The teenager sighed. "Yeah."

"Well, you've got to go out and find someone then," Jane said quietly. "There are good people out there, you know. There are good homes."

"Is that what you did?"

"Nah, I ran away with a girl as soon as I was old enough," Jane grinned.

"And she wanted you?"

His smile faltered slightly but he wasn't sure the kid had noticed. "Yes. Even when there were plenty of reasons why she shouldn't have."

"I…I can't. I just can't…"

"It can be better," Jane said. "You don't deserve to live like this."

Finally, after a long moment, the teenager sighed heavily and turned tired eyes towards Jane. Jane knew he had won the argument, but for once he felt no satisfaction from it. The kid had a long way to go now, and Jane only hoped he would be strong enough to succeed.

"What do you need from me?" James asked. "What would I have to do?"

"Tell the truth about your father," Jane said seriously. "I'll do everything I can to make sure you're taken care of in the system. I have a very good friend who'll help me too."

"I don't know if I can trust you," James replied shakily.

"You can't live like this," Jane repeated. "He'll kill you eventually and you know it. It's been getting worse, hasn't it?"

"How did you know?"

"I told you, I lived it kid," Jane replied, his eyes serious. "These things don't get better. He won't wake up one day and suddenly be a better dad. If I hadn't gotten out when I did, my dad would have probably killed me too. You deserve a chance for something better."

"Okay," the teenager mumbled, taking a deep breath. "Okay. I'll…I'll help you."

* * *

**A/N-** So, what do you think? This is only a short chapter, but I felt like this was a natural place to finish on. The next, and final, chapter is already half-finished, so the wait shouldn't be too long. Until then, thanks for reading, and please, let me know what you think!


	6. Part Six

******Disclaimer - **The Mentalist belongs to Bruno Heller and CBS. Not me. Obviously.

**A/N – **Here it is, the last chapter. I really hope that you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it! I've left a few loose ends, but I still think this is a good place to end it. Maybe I'll write a sequel later on down the line but for now, thanks for reading!

* * *

**Blood Ties**

**Part Six**

* * *

"Lisbon, can I have a word?"

Jane's voice drifted into her office, but Lisbon didn't move her focus from the case notes on her desk, her gaze fixed firmly downwards.

If she was completely honest with herself, Lisbon was still a bit annoyed with Jane. He had completely disobeyed her direct order, and he'd punched his father – causing them no end of trouble and putting their entire case under threat in the process– and yet here he was, acting like nothing had happened. She knew that he hated to be ignored; maybe it was time for him to get a taste of his own medicine.

Besides, she really was busy.

"Lisbon?"

"Yes, Jane?" she said absently, still refusing to look up at him. She could practically feel the annoyance coming from him at being ignored, but she had piles of paperwork to do and she didn't need a distraction. "I'm a little busy here."

"Erm…"

She sighed and rubbed a hand over her forehead. Why couldn't he just give her some peace and quiet...?

"What is it?" she said, finally jerking her head up. "Oh."

Standing in her office doorway, beside Jane, was a nervous looking teenage boy, who looked for all the world as if he wanted to be anywhere else.

Dawning comprehension came to her as she recognised the face of the boy. This is where Jane had run off to then. She could already feel a headache brewing. What the hell was the consultant up to now?

"This is James Jr, Lisbon," Jane said, giving her a significant look. "Jimmy Landon's son, remember?"

"I remember," Lisbon said as she stood up from behind her desk, brow furrowed in confusion. "James, why don't you go and take a seat on this couch. I just need a word with Jane. We won't be long, I promise."

The nervous boy did as he was told, and Lisbon directed Jane outside before shutting the door behind herself, trying desperately to control her temper. She was tired, it was late, and although she knew he was having a tough time of it, she was in no mood to take any of Jane's games tonight.

"What is he doing here, Jane?"

"He's going to help us solve the case, of course," Jane replied, giving her a grin.

"Stop it," she snapped, and the grin fell. "This isn't a game. You can't just mess about with people's lives like that. He's just a kid. Just because your father – "

"This has nothing to do with my father," Jane argued, a flash of annoyance crossing his features for the first time. "James is a witness."

"A witness?"

"Yes, my dear, a witness," Jane replied with a roll of his eyes, and Lisbon resisted the urge to punch him.

"So, he saw Landon shoot Greening?"

"Well, not quite," Jane replied.

"Get to the point, Jane," she prompted impatiently. If he didn't start talking soon, she really was going to punch him.

"James heard his father talking to someone about an old friend, one who was going to be causing old Jimmy a whole heap of trouble in the future. Apparently, there was talk of taking care of the problem themselves. And, James is willing to testify to that."

"Jane, we're going to need more than hearsay," Lisbon said. She could feel her consultant's excitement, but the word of a teenage boy wasn't going to be enough. They needed hard facts.

Jane rolled his eyes. "So predictable, woman. Not only did James hear his father planning the murder, but he also heard his father bragging about 'off-ing the bastard' _after _the murder. And…he also knows where his father hid the gun."

* * *

They had him.

James Jr's testimony would be crucial in getting a conviction in court, but the fact that they now had the murder weapon meant that Jimmy Landon would almost certainly be going away for a long time. This case had been a nightmare from the start, especially with all the press focus and pressure from the brass, and though she wouldn't admit it aloud, the relief that it was over now was almost overwhelming.

Quietly, Lisbon made her way back into the bullpen, carrying a couple of boxes of closed-case pizza for the team. It was late, but they deserved to celebrate the result. They'd earned it.

Rigsby face lit up at her arrival. "Pizza!"

"Dude, you've got problems," Cho said with a straight face, although there was a twinkle in his eyes that showed he didn't mean it.

Without any further invitation, the team gathered around the table and dug in, banter filling the silence as they let their relief at solving the case take over their moods.

Well, all expect one person.

After a quick glance round, she found him, as expected, alone on his couch, and apparently lost in thought.

"Jane?" she said quietly, leaving the team as she wandered over to him with a plate of pizza in her hand. "Jane, you want some pizza?"

"No thanks," Jane replied, mustering up a smile. "Tell Rigsby, he can have it."

"You okay?" she said, taking a seat beside him, putting the pizza down for the moment. She could hear the sound of her team laughing from the other sound of the room, but she frowned as she looked at her consultant. Even though he'd effectively solved the case single-handedly, there had been none of the usual bragging that went along with it. For once, Jane simply seemed glad to see the back of it.

"Oh, I'm fine Lisbon," Jane replied quietly. "Perhaps a bit tired."

"You should get some rest," Lisbon said, although she knew he wouldn't. "You've earned it."

"You're sweet, Lisbon," he said with a smile.

His smile dropped though as something at the door caught his attention. Before she knew what was happening, he was on his feet.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, stalking towards the newcomer, the last person any of them wanted to see.

Dammit, she swore to herself as Jane strode over to the old man. Jane's father had come back. How the hell had he got past security?

"Came to say goodbye," Alex Jane said easily, and Jane tensed.

Lisbon got up and immediately stood by Jane in case he decided to attack the man again. She turned to his father, careful to keep her expression professional, even though all she wanted to do was punch the man herself.

"Sir, you're not welcome here," Lisbon said coldly. The sounds of laughter had died down at Jane's yell, and out of the corner of her eye, Lisbon saw her team make their way over to join them as well.

"I just wanted to say goodbye to Paddy here," Alex Jane repeated. his tone equally cold. Lisbon got the distinct impression that he'd come to repay Jane for the punch earlier, and she took a step closer to her consultant, her arm brushing against his.

"I think I said it all earlier, don't you agree?" Jane retorted, and though his voice was strong, she could feel him shaking slightly. "After all, actions speak louder than words. How is the nose, by the way?"

"You think you're so big, getting one over on the old man," Jane's father replied angrily, his calm exterior dropping. Apparently that comment had stung. "Really, you're nothing but a coward, hiding behind your girlfriend…"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Jane replied angrily, but Lisbon placed a hand on his chest before he could move.

"Jane, cool it," she warned before turning back to his father. "You need to leave. Cho, care to do the honours?"

"Sure, boss," Cho replied, moving over to take the man by the arm in a strong grip.

Alex Jane looked furious at being denied the opportunity to do whatever he had come here for. He struggled slightly against Cho's grip but the stoic agent held firm. Alex turned to Jane.

"You're nothing but an arrogant, little brat." He spat on the ground at his son's feet before Cho could stop him. "You're a shame to the name of Jane, boy. You were a disappointment right from the start."

"Because you set such a good example," Jane shot back sarcastically, although Lisbon could see that he was still faintly shaking. "You're the one who was a shame to our name. Every cent you ever managed to con out of a mark went on booze, gambling or whores."

"You think that just because you became this big-name sell-out, that you're better than me or something?

"I am better," Jane said scathingly. "I do good now. I help people."

"Ha," his father laughed loudly, casting a dismissive eye around the bullpen. "You're here for revenge, nothing more. I know your game, boy. You're scamming them, making them think that you're one of them. It's all just so that you can get all the information on that serial killer of yours."

Alex Jane turned to Lisbon. "You should watch him, you know. Keep an eye on him. He'll ditch you as soon as he's got what he wanted."

"With all due respect," Lisbon began coldly, making it clear just how little respect the man had earned. "I've known Jane for a long time now. I know him better than you, that's for sure."

Jane's father seemed a little taken aback by her quick defence of his son.

"It's a shame really," Lisbon continued coldly, making a point to look him up and down. "You had this amazing kid. This talented, smart little boy, and you wasted it. You never even took the time to get to know him, to see him turn into a good man or to see him make something of his life. It's your loss, it really is. I pity you."

"Now, see here lady – "

Cho stepped between Lisbon and Alex Jane, pulling the man away. "Dude, you need to back off."

"Cho, escort Mr Jane out of the building please."

"Miss Lisbon – "

"_Agent _Lisbon," she corrected coldly. "Leave, now. If I ever see you in this building again, I will arrest you."

Alex Jane turned to his son. There was a vague flicker of anger in the old man's eyes, but desperation as well. It finally dawned on Lisbon why he had risked coming back.

"Patrick..."

"Landon didn't give you up," Jane told him, anger dancing in his eyes. He scowled. "You're free to go."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex Jane replied, but all of them caught to relief in his expression.

"We both know you do," Jane replied angrily, though he seemed to have better control over his emotions this time.

"Paddy…"

Jane snarled, actually snarled, at the man, and his father backed off.

"Fine," Alex Jane said, his hands raised defensively. "Fine, I'm going."

The man began to make his way out, followed closely by Cho. The silence left by their exit was deafening. Grace and Rigsby glanced at each other, both unsure what to do now or how to react, but Lisbon only had eyes for their consultant.

"Jane?"

"Well, I think I'll be going now as well," Jane said shakily, running a hand through his unruly hair. "I just need…"

"Take all the time you need, Jane," Lisbon interrupted gently, instinctively knowing what he needed. "Just take care of yourself. Okay?"

"Of course," Jane replied quietly, although his mind was elsewhere, probably already trying to sort through the events of the last few days, and in particular, the last few minutes. "I think I might go for a walk."

Her eyebrows rose and he smirked at her, though it was more forced than usual. "A real one this time. I just need to clear my head."

"Be careful," she warned, concern lacing her tone as she watched him leave the bull pen. He gave her a small wave, indicating that she shouldn't worry, but she knew it was a lost cause. She wouldn't be able to stop worrying until Jane was back safe and sound on his couch.

* * *

Lisbon had wanted to give Jane his space, she really had, but in the end, her sense got the better of her. When he was left alone to brood, Jane tended to do stupid things, and the last thing any of them needed after this case was more trouble.

She glanced around the dark, empty bullpen. His couch was empty, but she knew where he would be.

As she made the walk up to his attic, Lisbon allowed her thoughts to wander back to her errant consultant. The man was still an enigma, but she felt that, after the last few days, she knew him a little better now. Or that she understood him a little better at least.

He had always seemed damaged, as much as he tried to act otherwise, but now she knew the damage went much deeper than even his family's murder could explain. She had never realised just how much they both had in common. His mother had killed herself, her father had. His father had been violent and abusive, and so had hers.

But where she had gotten out, given herself a better life, Jane's happy ending had ended in tragedy. He had replaced one terrible existence with another.

How on earth did he manage to keep going after everything he had been through?

Shaking herself slightly as she reached the door, Lisbon knocked loudly.

"Jane, it's Lisbon. You in there?"

There was a pause, and she wondered briefly if he had gone home after all. Just as she was about to leave, though, she heard a rustling from behind the door.

"Come in," came the muffled call.

He _was _here then. She'd been right after all. As she pulled open the door, she tried to work out if that was a good thing or not.

"The ADA's finally happy with the paperwork," she said without preamble as she made her way into his depressing space. Lisbon cast a cautious eye over her consultant. He seemed fine...

"Oh?" Jane replied absently, sitting on his make shift bed. He gestured for her to take the desk chair and she took the offer.

"Yeah, Landon's on his way to jail as we speak," Lisbon continued as she glanced around. Jane's bed was covered in what looked to be old photographs. She watched as he picked one up, his eyes glazing over slightly as he stared at it.

The silence grew slightly oppressive, but with him in this mood, she had no idea what to say. Truthfully, she'd only come up here to see if he was alright. Now that she knew he indeed was alright – relatively speaking, at least – she probably should just go home...

"I thought it would be harder…you know, seeing him again."

The quiet words broke into her thoughts, and she found herself surprised once again that he was choosing to talk to her.

"You didn't exactly react _well, _Jane…"

"I could have been worse," Jane pointed out with a shrug and Lisbon had to concede that the man had a point.

"He always seemed…bigger," Jane continued quietly, staring down at the picture in his hands. "I know that seems ridiculous, since I was a only a kid really when I last saw him, but still, I find myself surprised by how…old he seems now."

"He's not the man he once was," offered Lisbon.

"Oh, he is," Jane replied, a crease of anger entering his expression for the first time. "Same manipulating old bastard he's always been."

Jane looked angry and regretful all at once. His thoughts seemed like a storm behind his eyes, his expression more open than she had ever seen it.

"The thing about people like my father…we would never have been able to charge him. He's a slippery old fox, and he would have wriggled his way out of it somehow. Its better this way, trust me."

"We're lucky he's not suing us," she said with a roll of her eyes. "How is this better?"

Jane frowned. "There's no need to be snippy."

"Snippy?"

"Yes, snippy," Jane confirmed. "There's just no need for it. I solve the case, I catch the bad guy, and all I get from you, woman, is lip."

"Oh, come on, Jane," Lisbon replied with an eye roll, completely unaffected by his theatrics. "Cut it out. I'm not buying it."

"Well, I'll admit it hasn't been the most pleasant experience of my life, but it's done now. He's gone, the case is solved, and we can all go back to normal."

"Jane…"

Jane went quiet for a moment, and Lisbon half expected him to ask her to leave. She was surprised once again though, when he began to speak.

"The case...that's why he rang, you know," Jane began quietly. "He never wanted to get back in touch with me. He just knew somehow that John Greening was going to come clean about his accomplices. My father…he was one of them. If Greening had talked, he would have gone to jail."

Jane cleared his throat. "He just wanted to use me to get himself off."

"You think he knew about the murder?" Lisbon asked quietly.

"I don't think so," Jane replied, although his expression showed that he wasn't quite as sure this time as he usually was about these things.

Jane sighed heavily and looked back down at the picture he was holding in his hands. Lisbon noticed that his grip was shaking slightly, and she realised that, for all Jane's bravado, he still wasn't anywhere near okay.

"You doing alright, Jane?" Lisbon asked quietly. She didn't expect the man to start talking to her about his problems, but once again, Jane surprised her.

"It's just…I'm a little embarrassed, I guess," Jane began quietly. "It's been a long time since I last saw him, and I wasn't quite prepared for everything it brought back."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Jane," Lisbon said quietly. "The team…we don't think any different of you."

"I know that it's nothing to be ashamed of. Intellectually, I know that it wasn't my fault," Jane replied quietly, keeping his gaze down. "But I admit…I am ashamed."

She saw the familiar stirrings of guilt and shame, but there was also a flicker of self-hatred and she understood it immediately. She couldn't stand the idea that the man in front of her thought he was anything like the bastard he had grown up with.

"You're not your father," Lisbon said. Jane jerked his head, apparently surprised that she had read him so easily. He took a long time to consider her words before he replied.

"I know," mumbled Jane after a few seconds. "But I could have been. That could so easily have been me."

"You're a better man than that, Patrick Jane," Lisbon scolded gently. And as annoying and frustrating he was at times, she knew it was the truth.

"Oh hush, Lisbon," Jane replied, shrugging away her words. "I don't need your false platitudes. I'm fine."

She was about to argue further when her gaze finally caught the image in the photograph in his hands.

"Is that you?" she asked disbelievingly. The photo, which was smudged and crumpled with age, showed a young boy, no older than ten, with bouncing blond curls and a large snake draped around his neck.

She stood up and moved closer.

"Cute, wasn't I?" he said as he held it out to her.

Though she didn't want to stoke his oversized ego any more, she had to admit, even with the creepy snake around his neck, Jane had looked incredibly cute as a kid. Not that she was surprised by that fact.

"The snake belonged to Mystic Madge," Jane explained quietly. "It took a liking to me. I used to take it around the fair when we opened and scare all the local kids."

"Why does it not surprise me that you were a trouble-maker when you were a kid?" Lisbon joked, hoping to cheer him up a bit. Judging by the twinkle that was returning to his eyes, it had worked.

Jane smiled. "What can I say, I had to get my amusement from somewhere."

He pulled out another photo from the pile and handed it over to her. In this picture, an older Jane - one who had well and truly entered his teen years by this point - was standing by a trailer with one arm around a young, pretty girl with long blond hair, and the other draped around a rather large, rather old woman.

"That's Gladys," Jane explained, having guessed where her thoughts had gone. "She was Angela's grandmother." He pointed to the girl in the photograph and dawning comprehension finally hit her. The young girl was Angela, the woman Jane had eventually married.

"I used to drink tea with them both every Sunday," he told her quietly. "It became our little tradition."

His obsession with tea finally made sense to her, in a sad sort of way, though she wouldn't tell him that. He seemed so low as he stared at the image, so alone, that she suddenly wished very much that she could just take it all away, that she could make it all better.

"They're looking down on you, you know," Lisbon began quietly.

"Lisbon – "

"Oh, I know you don't believe me, Jane," she interrupted with a small smile. "Doesn't mean it isn't true."

He looked at her, faint amusement breaking through the sadness, his low mood vanishing almost immediately.

"Is that so?"

"Yes," she replied with a nod. Her expression turned serious. "Jane. If they are watching, if they are out there…they'd be proud of you."

"I don't…"

"You're a good man, Patrick Jane," Lisbon interrupted. "Underneath all those annoying qualities, you're a good man."

Jane didn't seem to know what to say to that, and truthfully, she didn't expect a response at all. She knew a part of him would never believe her, not even when they caught Red John, and she could accept that. For now at least.

But then Jane smiled at her, and in that moment she felt that one day, somewhere off in the future, maybe he might realise that he had done plenty of good in the world as well. That he deserved to be happy.

"I was wrong the other day," Jane said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"You're kidding," she replied, her tone mocking. "The great, all-knowing Patrick Jane is actually admitting he's wrong? This is gonna to be good…"

"Oh, ha ha," Jane replied sarcastically with a grin, unfazed by her mocking words.

"So, go on then," Lisbon prompted with curiosity when he didn't continue. "What were you wrong about?"

"You're not my priest," he told her.

"I'm not?" she asked, trying quite unsuccessfully to hide the hurt from her expression.

"No," Jane confirmed with a smile.

"Oh," Lisbon said lamely. She'd actually thought that maybe he finally trusted her enough to confide in her. For him to take it back now…it stung slightly, even though she would never tell him so.

She looked up at him and saw him frown. When he spoke, however, he surprised her once again, and this time, she found herself happy to be wrong.

"You're a saint, my dear" Jane replied, replacing his frown with a warm smile. He took her hand in his. "My very own Saint Teresa."

**~THE END~**

* * *

**A/N- **So that's it! The end of my little tale is here. I really hope you've enjoyed my first foray into the world of Patrick Jane and the CBI. I hope to return one day, and I already have hundreds of ideas, so look out for more stories from me in the future.

I'm also a staff member of a C2 called 'Crimson Pain' which posts any story in which Jane gets hurt in some way. If you want to subscribe, I will be updating it regularly with the best and brightest of the Mentalist community!

For now though, thank you very much for all your reviews, favourites and alerts, but most of all, thanks for reading!


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